China Retro Project :: Shanghai Yuyuan Garden

I’m really into using a little bit of software on my HTC phone at the moment. To me the Retro Camera has a very appealing effect and I’m addicted!

This project is all about images I’ve taken during July 2011 in China with my family.  They are all around Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi’an and Yunnan Province.

The next three are taken at Yuyuan Gardens :: July 2011

These two are taken from the Indigo Hotel near The Bund.

This is the Church nested amongst the shopping centres in Peoples Square.

These are the lotus flowers in Peoples Square.

The next two are from the Shanghai Musuem along with the fountains in Peoples Square.

This is part of the city walls in Xi’an

This is the Drum Tower in Xi’an.

The next two are taken in the Muslin area of Xi’an.

Six images from Kunming Temple.

Kunming City Centre, China (this isn’t a fake city, despite it’s fake Apple Store and Ikea!)

More of Kunming City Centre and a surprising view of a church.

The impressive gates in Kunming City Centre.

The beginning of my retro images for Dali, Yunnan. This is a view of the old town with their famous old alleyways and roof features.

Dali Old Town Gate.

The great thing about travelling around this part of the world is the amazing culture and experience you can have from seeing amazing architecture and views like this. In Yunnan there are so many amazing places, and it doesn’t really matter what the weather is like (so long as it’s not completely fogged in!).

Classic view of the Three Pagodas near Dali Old Town, Yunnan, China

A close view of the Three Pagodas.

These are some sort of pumpkin seen in Dali Old Town. In my mind, this is a perfect type of image for my mobile phone “retro camera.”

Throughout this summer I’ve taken images in my home county of Devon in the UK and all over China as part of a “Mobile Phone Retro Camera” project. Any comments so far?

At least the clouds and rain help to saturate the colours even more here in Dali Old Town.

The Retro Camera is the focus for this project and I’m loving the results.

The retro camera discovers Lijiang Old Town in Yunnan Province and life is good!

This is such a cool area, my camera was working overtime and my mobile phone was having fun too taking this image!

Black Dragon Pond is just a stones throw from the the Old Town of Lijiang and on a day like this, it’s a paradise!

These rooftops and rolling clouds were amazing. You can’t help but take a good picture in this environment!

What I want to do is take using my mobile phone retro camera a little further. What do you think of this one and the images above?

Amazing views and old towns are all around Lijiang in Yunnan Province. Climb a few hills and the views start to look like this! These are the Baishi old town rooftops.

Wondering around the Baishi area, I was really interested in finding some of the more smaller temples and possibly even a Tibetan temple. As luck would have it, this small temple was on the hillside and has some beautiful fading prayer flags and views of the valley where Lijiang and some of the other old town are in Yunnan.

Vibrant colours and bold images make for excellent Retro Camera images. What do you think of these post-it notes which were decorating a cafe in Lijiang?

Check out what some of these notes say too!

Tiger Leaping Gorge – quite stunning!

Aubergines and veg – a vibrant combination!

Getting colourful and interesting pictures with the retro camera can be an interesting experience and people react differently to when you have a professional camera up at your eye. Raising a mobile phone doesn’t make people feel so worried, in fact most of the time people don’t even notice.

Right by the local market in Lijiang I spotted this cool looking pool table. This youngest was quite happy to pose for my camera phone!

Take out a big digital SLR with flash and a lovely long zoom and it changes how people react to you – unless, of course, you are one of these photographers who blend in so well that you’re part of the background. That’s not me when I’m in China! However, given a mobile phone and a bit of software and it’s great – no one knows what you’re doing and really no one cares. Seen in Lijiang.

More street scenes in Lijiang. Kids playing with water. Everyone likes playing with water ?

Still wondering around China with the mobile phone and retro software.

This was taken in Nanjing, ancient capital of China (so many ancient capitals – at least this one has Capital in it’s name!).

Another view from a tall building in Nanjing.

We are just about to hire a boat on this lake… feels very 1980s!

Retro Camera Project in Nanjing, China :: July 2011

Boating in the rain in Nanjing.

Well it’s not that big a boat. But it looks cool in the retro style.

These are my favourite three images from Shanghai during my Retro Camera Project. They also made an excellent gift for my family to take back to the UK after their trip.